Grants in North America

Russian Jewish Young Adult Engagement Initiative in the San Francisco Bay Area

The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund is a philanthropic catalyst - transforming Jewish values into action, and mobilizing the community to ensure its collective well-being and future.

The Russian Jewish Young Adult Engagement Initiative, developed and supported by Genesis Philanthropy Group in partnership with the Federation in 2011, is geared towards creating comfortable ways for Russian Jewish teenagers, young adults, and young families to connect and participate in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Jewish community.

A key aspect of the program is the development of lay leadership among Russian-speaking Jewish youth. Through the Ignition Grant Initiative (IGI), ‘beginner’ leaders are trained and presented with tangible opportunities to exercise leadership by selecting and allocating funding for Jewish projects through a competitive mini-grant selection process. Additionally, young adult Steering Committee organizes ‘Hike and Learn’ events, art exhibitions, and meetings with well-known figures in the Russian Jewish community to promote appreciation for the achievements of Russian-speaking Jews in North America and beyond. Mini-grants are also distributed to community organizations in San Francisco and Palo Alto, and focus on supporting programming for young Russian-speaking Jewish families and teenagers.

As part of this project, community-wide Jewish holiday celebrations are held to create and strengthen connections between young adults, as well as families with young children. Among these celebrations is ‘Passover in the Desert’, which brings together a group of young Russian-speaking Jews to celebrate the biblical holiday together in the California desert.

Financial support for this program is provided by Genesis Philanthropy Group in partnership with the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco and program participants’ contributions.

Goals and Objectives

Develop new and innovative programming for various segments of the Russian-speaking Jewish community.

Strengthen connections to other Russian-speaking Jewish communities, especially in Los Angeles and New York.

Increase awareness among Jewish organizations of the San Francisco Russian-speaking Jewish community and expertise on how to engage it.